Two polymorphs of 1,8‐dichloroanthracene

A second, monoclinic, polymorph of the title compound, C₁₄H₈Cl₂, has been found. In addition to the structure of this monoclinic form, the structure of the previously described orthorhombic form [Desvergne, Chekpo & Bouas‐Laurent (1978). J. Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. 2, pp. 84–87; Benites, Maverick & Fronczek (1996). Acta Cryst. C 52 , 647–648] has been redetermined at low temperature and using modern methods. The low‐temperature structure of the orthorhombic form is of significantly higher quality than the previously published structure and additional details can be derived. A comparison of the crystal packing of the two forms with a focus on weak intermolecular C—H...Cl interactions shows the monoclinic structure to have one such interaction linking the molecules into infinite ribbons, while two crystallographically independent C—H...Cl interactions give rise to an interesting infinite three‐dimensional network in the orthorhombic crystal form.